Opened by the same friendly Gianni who owns neighborhood favorite Pane Vino, it’s not surprising that Pomodoro was filled with regulars on a Saturday night. Literally every customer that came in made a beeline for the man himself, transforming a brightly lit brand new restaurant in the middle of Wan Chai into a friendly small-town Italian joint. Our starters were a bit of a mixed bag: a forgettable green salad and a fantastically smoky grilled eggplant only slightly brought down by the mediocre mozzarella and wintery tomato that accompanied it. The mains were better: it was hard to see how the bucatini amatriciana (spicy bacon tomato sauce pasta) could have been any better. The house specialty—a roasted baby pig—was enjoyable, but really can’t compete in a town filled with expert Cantonese joints serving suckling pig. Don’t bother saving room for dessert, they’re nothing special. Instead, just relax with another glass of the excellent and affordable house red and contemplate which pasta you’ll order the next time you return to this homey trattoria.